Tattu is a cool modern restaurant with a menu of Chinese dishes that are both familiar and surprising…

To say Tattu has been a long time coming is something of an understatement. We first announced their Leeds restaurant in July 2016, so it’s taken nearly a year for them turn their plans into a reality. But now they’re finally open and it’s easy to see why it’s taken so long.

They’ve completely transformed the space, turning it into an opulent restaurant, where three white cherry blossom trees take centre stage. “In Asia, the cherry blossom tree is a symbol of luck holding the belief that it showers people with love and happiness, something that we wanted to share in each venue,” Adam Jones, Owner and Managing Director of Tattu, told us. But they also take inspiration from Yorkshire – the white petals were chosen specially to mimic Yorkshire’s white rose emblem.

The design of the restaurant takes inspiration from body art, from its early origins in the East to its prominence in Western culture today – the result is a contemporary look that toes the line between minimalism and intricacy, using natural materials to create a distinctive style.

It’s the perfect setting for their modern take on Chinese cuisine, which gives you classic dishes with a twist. Think red pepper lamb chops with hot and sour pumpkin, caramel soy beef fillet with shiitake and asparagus, and salt & pepper lobster with chilli salt, garlic and spring onion. They’ve taken the dishes you love and built on them, turning them into something that feels altogether new.

Although you’ll find many dishes on the menu in their other restaurants, there are three that you won’t – they’ve been made specially for our Tattu, and once again, take inspiration from Yorkshire.

“In order to make each Tattu relevant to the city it’s in, we have created three dishes particularly for Leeds using locally-sourced Yorkshire produce,” Jones explained. “On the dim sum menu, there’s a beautifully spiced Yorkshire beef puff in a nod to Yorkshire’s famous pastries, from the small plates we have a Whitby crab cake served with a soy aioli, and finally from the mains we have a delicious Yorkshire pork rib-eye served with a tangy apple teriyaki sauce – it’s one of my favourite dishes.”

To wash it all down, they have a menu of creative cocktails that will change with the seasons. Right now, it’s all refreshing summer tipples, made with their own infusions and syrups which use Chinese teas and spices to add flavour, but you’ll also find a few heavier drinks on the menu, like the Barrell Old-Fashioned and the Nutella Espresso Martini.

Jones would have you try The Skull Candy cocktail though, “With flavours of strawberry and bubblegum, it comes served in a smoking custom skull glass. This has become a Tattu signature over the past two years and has proved really popular at our pop-up for Cocktails in the City.”

If that’s not your thing, perhaps you’d rather try something from their sake menu, with three bottles for you to choose from, alongside a list of quality wines. And of course, there’s beer – they have their own Tattu craft beer on tap alongside Asahi, with Peroni Red, Lucky Buddha, Tiger, Modelo and Liberty Ale in bottles.

Tattu is an exciting addition to Leeds and one that further cements our place as a foodie destination – and that’s exactly what brought them here in the first place.

“Having come to university here, I had a good knowledge of the city but what excited me more recently was the huge growth of the food and drink scene,” Jones explained. “When we saw the plans for the development of Bond Court and Minerva, along with the investment in the surrounding areas such as Greek Street and East Parade, we knew this part of the city was embarking on an exciting new journey, one which we would love to be a part of. The glass fronted building works well for us in providing natural light and we’ve also been able to build a covered terrace so people have the option of being outside during the warmer weather.”